It's not Over Yet
by Tai Chick
Summary: Takes place dirrectly after "When Your Friend Needs Help" Yamato has trouble coping with all that had happened


Tai Chick: ::types rapidly at the computer:: 

Yama Chick: what are you working on now? 

Tai Chick: fic 

Yama Chick: Which one? 

Tai Chick: sequel to When Your friend needs help. ::continues typing:: 

Yama Chick: Really?! Oh that is so cool! Are you almost done? 

Tai Chick: No, I'm writing it as I go along. I'll give the stupid disclaimer first that I hate so much. 

Yama Chick: Here, let me do it...::ahem:: These characters are not owned by Tai Chick, they are the property of Toei Animation. Brilliant, brilliant people. They also created... 

Tai Chick: ::shoots friend a death look:: 

Yama Chick: ...Don't sue her. If anyone deserves to be sued it's those stupid people who made all the conception art. ::turns to Tai Chick:: especially those people who made your poster. Izzy is not that big! And you know it's a bad picture when Tai Chick admits that Tai looks like a retard. 

Tai Chick: You got that right...Now...on with the fic! 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Yamato sat down on Taichi's bed. It had been less than twelve hours since he had last been there. In that time so much had happened he knew he would never be the same. 

After Yamato's uncle had been taken away, Yamato was taken to the hospital. 

There he was poked, prodded and examined. The doctors made Yamato tell them exactly what had happened, where it happened and when it happened. Then he had to repeat all his stories over again to the police. 

Yamato was scared. His head was swimming and it was hard for him to think straight. That's when he noticed there was a curtain next to his bed and that things were going on behind it. 

A small hand went to the curtain and pulled it away. Takeru sat on a bed next to him. "Yamato." He said. 

That's when Yamato noticed that there was blood just over Takeru's eye. Had his Uncle hurt Takeru. Yamato would kill him. 

"Takeru, what did that stupid jerk do to you? Did he touch you? I'll kill him myself." Yamato stated trying to get off his bed. But several hands came to hold him down. 

"Someone get this kid a private room, he's going to hurt himself." Came the voice of one doctor. 

Before he knew it he was being wheeled away from Takeru. And he was alone again. 

Later he found out that Takeru had been cut by a flying rock and needed stitches. No one knew who threw the rock. 

Yamato felt like crying, but wouldn't, he'd already made a fool of himself by crying on the bridge. He wasn't about to do it again. So he held his emotions inside, like he always did. 

Yamato was kept in a hospital room all by himself form most of the day. No one knew just what to do with him yet. It was much much later that a grown man came running into the room. It was Yamato's real father. 

"Yamato? What happened?" He asked. 

Yamato was forced to tell his story yet again. 

When he was finished it was impossible to tell what his father was feeling. He kept his face blank. "I'll take you home now." was all he said. 

Going home was the last thing he wanted to do. It was to painful, he was afraid confused and alone. Yamato hadn't meant to do it, but his face clearly was an argument. 

"Well, what do you want to do then?" Another man asked, someone Yamato had never seen before. 

Yamato knew he could go home with Takeru and his mother, but he didn't want to do that either, he wanted nothing to do with his family. The thought of going any place with family horrified him. There was no one there that could side with him, see things through his eyes and not have and argument. 

He had heard his mother and father arguing earlier in the hallway. He couldn't deal with that now. No way. 

"Um..." came a voice from behind all the strange faces. A familiar voice, a voice that cut through the despair. Taichi's voice. "He could stay with me, if he wanted. I'm sure my parents wouldn't mind." 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Tai Chick: ::pauses in her typing, Yama Chick is in the kitchen:: sniffle, it's so sad... 

Yama Chick: Tai Chick help! 

Tai Chick: ::runs into the kitchen. Is faced with Yama Chick holding a bottle of soda and a cup. Soda is dripping down the counter, Yama Chick is attempting to catch the falling soda with her foot:: Yama Chick-chan! What are you doing!? 

Yama Chick: ::meekly:: I spilled the soda. 

Tai Chick: Yes, I see that. And I don't think that you're going to catch very much of it with your foot. ::grabs towel and wipes up mess:: 

Yama Chick: ::goes upstairs to wash foot:: 

Tai Chick: well, now that that disaster is over with... ::heads back to the computer:: 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

"Are you okay?" Taichi said. He was sitting on the floor looking up at his friend, wishing he knew what to do to help him. 

"Fine." Yamato said, clearly not fine at all. 

"It's okay to cry." Taichi whispered. "Sometimes if you don't, it eats at you, it builds up, and then explodes." 

Yamato reflected on Taichi's words. Oh how he longed to express everything. He needed comfort, he knew that. This wasn't something that anyone should have to deal with. It just wasn't fair. Taken a deep breath he asked for something he's wanted since the first time his uncle hit him. "Can I have a hug?" 

Taichi nodded and sat on the bed next to Yamato and pulled him in close. Yamato couldn't stand it any more. Tears began to flow. His back moved sharply with every sob. Taichi held his head so that the Yamato's tears fell onto his shoulder, Yamato needed a shoulder to cry on. "It's okay." he whispered as he held onto his friend. "It's okay. I only wish I could have helped you, taken you away from it all." 

"I couldn't leave." Yamato stated still sobbing. "I needed to stay and fight." 

Yamato's tears stopped quickly enough. 'A little to quick.' Taichi thought. 

Time went by. The two boys talked about things that didn't really matter. Taichi made Yamato laugh a few times. Soon they were both exhausted. It was time to sleep. 

"Any time you need a hug, just ask." Taichi said before crawling under his covers. He closed his eyes and soon Yamato heard deep breathing. 

'Oh Taichi...If you wanted to hug me enough, give me enough comfort...you'd have to wrap me up and hug me all night, not letting me go for anything. If I would cry all I needed to, I'd have to cry for hours. But I don't want to ask, I don't want to be a burden.' 

Though Yamato was exhausted he didn't get much sleep. To many things were going through his head. He was so confused. He had gotten up many times during that long night. One time he awoke full of so much anger he thought he was going to explode. 'Life shouldn't be like this.' 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Yamato woke up very early the next morning, unable to rest any longer. 

He carefully slipped out of Taichi's room and into the bathroom to take a shower. He scrubbed every inch of his body. He wasn't only trying to wash away the dirt, he was trying to do away with the memories. The pain of having no one at home really care about him. The utter fear of the thought that Takeru might die an early, unnatural death. The memories of all that happened. He wanted to move on, and forget. 

Stepping back in the bedroom Yamato found Taichi awake and looking at the ceiling. "Hey, how are you?" Taichi asked him. 

"I'm better." Yamato answered. "I'm all better." 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

The day went on and later in the afternoon Taichi and Yamato meant up with the rest of the chosen children in the park. Taichi shot them all a look that stated 'don't say anything about what happened.' Yamato was glad, the best way to forget was never to mention it again. 

I was a good feeling to be able to hang out with his friends and not have to worry about what would happen when he got home. It was a good feeling indeed. 

Hours later Takeru and Yamato walked the few blocks to Takeru's house. Yamato said that he'd walk him home. Takeru was glad. 

Reaching the door to the house, The brothers heard yelling from inside. 

"I can't believe you would leave our son with such a maniac!" Their mother screamed. 

"He's not a maniac he's my brother. I trusted him with _my_ son and it didn't work out, I don't know why you even care." Their father stated. 

"The law may say that Yamato is your son and Takeru is mine, but they're really both of ours. We both contributed to their birth. If either of their lives are in danger I want to be there for them. I can't believe that you don't care what Yamato was put through for so long...and it's all your fault." 

"It is not, I wasn't the one hitting him." 

"No, but you're the one who left him with someone who didn't care. You're the one who left him in the first place. No matter who was in charge of him, you left him. And it seems that you can't get the fact through your head that one of our sons was almost killed, _murdered_." 

Yamato could tell that Takeru was scared. Takeru's arms were wrapped tightly around his waist. It hurt a lot with all the bruises still healing, but Yamato didn't say a word, he just held his little brother. 

"I'm filing for custody of both boys." Their mother finally stated. 

"You can't do that." Their father said angrily. 

"I can, and I am. I'm sure the courts will side with me. I have complete faith of that." 

Yamato and Takeru couldn't see what was happening but they were sure that their father shot their mother an evil look. He opened the door to leave, and came face to face with the two boys, he looked suprisedô "Come on Yamato." he said and pulled him away. 

Takeru ran into the house to his mother. 

"Did you two hear all of that?" Their mother asked. It sounded faint. 

Yamato turned around to glimpse at his brother. He was crying in his mother's lap. 'Poor Takeru.' he thought. 

'Poor you, Yamato." he thought. 'What am I going to do now?' 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Two weeks had past. Yamato was slowly falling into a depression. All his friends had noticed it, but no one knew what to do about it. 

Koushirou had asked him about it. 

"Hey Yamato, are you okay?" He had asked. 

"Yeah, fine." Yamato said halfheartedly. "I'm fine." 

Mimi had tried to make him feel better. 

"Hi Yamato! I got you this book of songs for your hamonica! I hope you like it!" Mimi had said in her overly cheerful way. But that had no effect either. Yamato had reluctantly taken the book and put it in his back pack. 

Days later both of them confronted Taichi. 

"Taichi, you have to talk to Yamato, find out what's going on with him." Koushirou stated. 

"Hu? What do you mean?" Taichi asked confused. 

"Don't tell me you haven't noticed that something was wrong!" Mimi exclaimed. "He's so down, and he's bringing everyone else down with him!" 

Taichi sighed. "Yeah, I've noticed. But why do I have to talk to him? It's not like he's going to open up just because I talk to him!" 

Koushirou smiled. "You'd be surprised. He's closer to you than anyone else. I think he'll listen to you." 

"Okay, I'll talk to him, but don't expect anything to happen." 

It was after school when Taichi finally got the opportunity to talk to Yamato. 

"Okay, tell me, what's wrong?" He asked. 

Yamato looked into his friends eyes. Could he tell him? Should he? Would he actually understand? "I don't know if you would understand." he said finally. 

"Try me, even if I don't at least you'll be able to get it off you chest." Taichi stated crossing his arms. 

Yamato took a deep breath. "I have to go to court, and I'm afraid." 

"Oh Yamato, that's understandable...but all you have to do is tell the truth. You're uncle is going to be put away so fast..." 

"That's not it." 

"What do you mean?" Taichi asked confused. 

"My mom blames my father for what happened...she wants a custody battle..." 

"Oh god, that's the last thing you need." Taichi said taking a seat on a nearby bench. 

Yamato sat down as well. "I know, and I don't know what to do about it." 

Taichi looked his friend in the eye. "Yamato...what do _you_ want? Don't think about anyone else's feelings. For once in your life, think about yourself." 

Yamato bit his lip. Taichi could tell he was trying his best not to cry again. "I want to go back to before. I want things to go back to the way they were before. Things weren't perfect...but I need to forget, I need to forget what happened." 

"I know you do, if there's anything I can do for you just let me know..." 

"I think, there is." 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

It was a few day later. Yamato was in an uncomfortable suit, sitting in a court room. It was time, the time he had been dreading. He looked over his shoulder towards the back of the room. Taichi, who was also in a suit, gave him and encouraging smile. 

A lot went on before Yamato was called to tell his story. But when he was he stepped up to the stand with confidence. He had the same cool look and know all expression on his face that Taichi had seen so many times in the Digiworld. Yamato's crest hung around his neck. 

Yamato told about the first time he was struck. The way his uncle threatened Takeru with the gun. Why he was hit the last time. Pictures were shown of the bruises on Yamato's back and stomach. Like Taichi had said, it didn't take much for the courts to side with him. 

"Yamato's Uncle is not the only one responsible for this." Yamato's mother shouted. "Look at who left Yamato with that horrid man. I don't think that his father should be responsible for him any longer." 

"I don't see how you can blame me for this!" Their father exclaimed. 

'Oh no.' Taichi thought. 'They aren't going to have an argument in the court room are they?' 

That was exactly what was happening. Yamato's father and mother were yelling back and forth now. The judge was just about to tell them to be quiet when Yamato exploded. "That's enough from both of you! What in the Digiworld do you thing this is!?" 

The entire court room went silent. 

The judge looked down at Yamato. "What do you have to say about all this young man?" 

Yamato looked over at Taichi who nodded. his face seemed to say 'Do what you need to be happy.' 

He took a deep breath. "I...I love Takeru, and my mother, but I love my father too. I try not to show it...but everything that happened hurts a lot. I need to forget, to move on. And the only way to do it, is for things to go back to they way they were before. I...I need to stay with my father." 

The judge nodded. "I think I know what we've decided." 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Yamato grabbed onto Taichi's leg and pulled him down to the ground. Taichi fell and rolled. Takeru jumped on top of both of them. Sora reached out to tickle Taichi. but he dogged and crashed into Koushirou who went sprawling. Kari wrapped her arms around Takeru and pulled him back down to the ground. Mimi took Jou's hand and brought him into the rumble. Everyone was laughing. 

It had been many months since the incident in the courtroom. Yamato was still healing, but memories were getting fainter and he thought about them less. Even his scars were beginning to heal. 

After Yamato spoke of how he felt neither of his parents ever spoke about custody battles again. And neither of them said anything to Takeru, they all knew he might be hurt about not being able to live with his brother. And Yamato's uncle was sent to jail for a long long time. 

As all of the Chosen Children lay on the ground gasping for breath. Yamato looked at the sky, and thanked whoever was responsible for all the good things in his life. Life was now they way it should be. He said a little prayer to Gabumon, for always being there, and giving him the strength to never give up. 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Tai Chick: ::sigh:: I love having finished a fic. 

Yama Chick: One of your best. ::walks over and turns TV to fox kids:: OH NO IT'S THE STUPID KETCHUP COMMERCIAL!!! ::runs out door:: 

Tai Chick:: Hey! wait for me! I have to finish my ending disclaimer! Please bear with me in the court room scene, I don't know how these things really work. Look at the fic for it's message, not the accuracy. Thank you. ::to Yama Chick:: okay, now we can go. ::runs out door:: 


End file.
